Thursday, April 30, 2015

Numenera: the City of Aian

Aian
Population: 30,000
Governance: Independent City-State; Ruled by an elected senate
Corebook Information:  Known by some as the City of Merchants and by others as the City of Beggars, Aian is only tenuously part of Milave, maintaining as much independence as it can. The city-state has a population of perhaps 30,000. Ruled by an elected senate, Aian is one of the prominent republics in the Steadfast. As its monikers suggest, it is a city of commerce and trade, a gateway between the Steadfast and the lands to the south. Its markets are filled with exotic goods, and wealthy merchant clans maintain burgeoning warehouses here.

The Aian saying “Those not rich are poor” is used to justify avarice and ruthless business practices. In other words, if you don't fight to get all you can, you’ll have nothing. The saying is also a fair assessment of the city’s class structure. Those who are not wealthy merchants, clerks, accountants, salesmen, or caravan drivers are extremely poor, working for scraps as laborers, bearers, or porters—or worse, without employment at all, living as beggars and thieves.

Rumor has it that the Amber Papacy does not believe in democracy, and that agents of the Order of Truth work against Aian in the shadows of the city. If this gossip is true, the agents likely work with the Beggar Queen and her network of spies. She hates the oligarch council and the merchants who elect them. No one knows much about the Beggar Queen herself, but she has three lieutenants that are biomechanical hybrids with the ability to become invisible and kill with a touch, ensuring that her power remains unchallenged.

Regions of Aian
Aian is a city divided. On the one hand, there is the city of merchants brimming with wealth and opportunity. Aian’s proximity to the lands of The Beyond grants it a thriving economy and markets filled with exotic goods rarely available elsewhere. For those lucky enough to enjoy the splendor, Aian is a beautiful city with few parallels. But not all its citizen are so fortunate. The less fortunate know Aian as the city of beggars. Beyond the beautiful markets of the kept city lies meandering slums and rampant poverty.

This divide is not simply financial, but physical as well. Aian is built within ancient structures called the fallen spires. It looks as if a hallow glass spire with a ribbon of gold swirling around it had fallen ages past. No one knows its original purpose, or even its original shape, but living within affords many benefits. Regardless of weather conditions, those within the spire are kept at an ideal temperature. There is always a gentle of breeze within which carries with it a fragrance that few can agree upon but all acknowledge is pleasant and frequently changing. Those within the spires are said to reside in The Kept City, a term occasionally used in derision (it is also called the Inner city, denoting that it is within the spires). 

Outside the Kept city, lays the aptly named Unkept City. As the pun suggests, the Outer City is dirty and dangerous. Here, poverty is widespread. The moniker is fitting in another manner as well. While the Kept city is organized and clean, the Unkept city slums are a maze of hidden paths, poorly built huts, and meandering dirt roads. Far from the sheltered existence of the privileged few, those from the Unkept city are proudly independent, tough, and resilient.

Aian Society
                The main factor that determines social standing in Aian is wealth. In principle, even a citizen born in abject poverty could achieve wealth and influence through hard work, natural talent, and a great deal of wit. In practice, wealth tends to remain in the hands of the few. Dreaming of grand riches almost always remains just that, naïve dreams of the idealistic. 
                The city of Aian is ruled by an elected Senate of 11 counselors, one to represent each region of the city. While anyone could be elected provided they obtained the votes needed, in reality, only the wealthy have any real chance to succeed. The Unkept city has four regions granting them 4 counselors while the Kept city has seven; thus most decisions tend to favor the wealthy regions. As a result, those representing the lower classes of Aian society rarely get their voices heard. These powerful oligarchs currently rule the city, but for how much longer? Interests from within the city - and without - are striving to change the status quo.
                The wealthy of Aian enjoy a lifestyle far above what any of the masses could dream of. Among “the kept” – as the affluent are called – the most influential are the five great families. High society in Aian is a constant political struggle between the noble families. Each family has their own motivations- some are selfish, others might even be called virtuous.  Regardless of their motivations and intra-family feuds, the families can find common ground in opposing those that threaten their influence in Aian. 
                Most commoners of Aian are usually too preoccupied trying to get by to get involved in the complex politics of their city. This does not mean that they are not aware that the deck is stacked against them, simply that they do have the time or means to do anything about it. Despite their greatest efforts many of Aian’s “unkept” fall into debt and poverty eventually.  The outer city is littered with beggars and thieves; slums and shantytowns. Underground criminal networks thrive in these areas. Some seek their own power while others seek to unseat the powerful oligarchs and the rich merchants who elected them.
                The mutants and visitants are some of Aian’s most disenfranchised. While the “unkept” masses may naively hold out hopes for a rags-to-riches fantasy, those with obvious physical mutations or extraterrestrial origins have no such hopes. These individuals tend to form tight insular communities which protect one another and are weary of outsiders. Their suspicious natures are justified. Even while the Angulan Knights have a charter to uphold justice regardless of class or religious differences; they do not aid these lowly people. In fact, they may be some of their greatest persecutors. The knights are dedicated to the advancement of the human race, but they simply abhor mutants and barely tolerate visitants.
                Slavery is legal in Aian, as it is throughout the steadfast. Enslavement is not based on racial, religious, or cultural difference. Rather slaves are taken from conquered enemies or their descendants and are considered property. Typically only the nobles own slaves, but as property, they can be bought and sold to anyone wealthy enough to afford the price. Sometimes criminals are consigned to enslavement. More recently, temporary enslavement has become a commonplace sentence for those who cannot pay their debts. Some desperate individuals even sell themselves into slavery, giving up their own freedom to ensure their family’s survival. Slaves toil as manual laborers, house servants, and guards. Their living conditions can vary greatly depending on which family they work for and what type of labor they are tasked to perform. Typically slaves live in the house they serve in conditions significantly better than those found amongst the poor and destitute. On rare occasions, a particularly talented slave may earn the respect of the family she serves; granting them freedom and a place within their house for their loyalty.

Regions of The Unkept City (aka the outer city)
1.       The Frore
2.       Ashen Plaza
3.       Spectral Precinct
4.       Eastern Quarter

Regions of the Kept City (aka the inner city)
1.       Ceylon Strand
2.       Nautilus Riverfront
3.       Sanctum Ward
4.       Agoratech Market
5.       Serenity Sire
6.       Meabrooks
7.       University Enclave

Region Descriptions

The Frore
This is the main marketplace of the outer city, featuring many outdoor stalls and shops. Its low prices and practical wares make it a popular location for the Unkept of Aian. It is easy to find good deals on food, mundane items, and adventuring items. On very rare occasions, a lucky adventurer might find a rare item at an exceptionally good price. 
Interesting Locations:    Drody’s Tavern and Lodge

Ashen Plaza
This region is mostly residential homes and warehouses. Guards, hired hands, laborers and low income workers make their homes here.
Interesting Locations:    Asser Levy Bath-House and Bordello
                                       The Greasy Spoon (restaurant)
                                       The Queb and the Cavot (Tavern)

Spectral Precinct
Spectral precinct is a maze of meandering paths and hidden passageways. This overpopulated shantytown is home to poorest of Aian’s citizens. Beggars and thieves are common and walking the streets can be extremely dangerous. Many of Aian’s poorest residence have clear and visible mutations. Often times, they are debilitating and occasionally they are dangerous.
Interesting Locations:    Order of Truth Benefaction
                                       Tottie’s Tavern

Eastern Quarter
Spectral precinct is a largely residential home to many poor laborers and porters. A fairly sizable insular community of Lattimors make this their home. Recently, a few shops and a tavern have opened up which cater to these visitants. Their presence is not without conflict; Angulan Knights who go out to enact their charter do not take kindly to any alien race.
Interesting Locations:    The Quarter Canteen (Tavern)
   The Rose (Cathouse)
                                        Drour’s Watering Hole (Tavern – Lattimor Friendly)
               
Ceylon Strand
Located in the inner city along the waterfront, Ceylon Strand is filled with many open air markets sporting the latest exotic imports. Shops frequently sell rare and unique spices, foods, and clothing. The restaurants in this area are some the best in the Steadfast, infused with distinctive flavors and inspired by distant cuisines.
Key Locations:   The Ceylon Peer
    A Savory Saunter (restaurant)
                            Ara’s Tavern
                            The Fishing House (restaurant)
                            Taste of the Beyond (restaurant)

Nautilus Riverfront
This inner city region contains Aian best and only beach. The sand that makes up the beach is made of smoothed out glass and clear crystal shards. It has the same texture as normal sand, but appears pale blue and sparkles brilliantly in the sun. Nautilus is a prized as a wonderful location to relax along the beach during a nice sunny day. Thanks to the unique properties of the fallen spires, this beach is used year round, although the river is only warm enough to swim in during the heat of the summer months. The beaches are a popular place to see glams perform and, if impressed, place your offer for their services. Various shops line the streets of this region where one can find all manner of items for sale.
Key Locations:   The Vape’s Edge (Weapon’s Shop)
                            Gi’s Armor and Defense Shop (Armor Shop)
                               
Sanctum Ward
The ward is the center of political life in Aian. Home to some the cities best architecture, Sanctum Ward is a sight to behold. Most buildings here are held by city’s Senate, the Guilds, the Order of Truth, or the Angulan Knights.  The ward also has various high class establishments that cater to the local senators and clergymen.
Key Locations:       Town Hall
                                Guild Hall
                                Aian Senate Building
                                Angulan Knights - Aian Charter
                                Sanctuary  (Bathhouse and Bordello)
                                SynthSilver Spoon (Restaurant)

Agoratech Market
Agoratech is a market brimming with all manner of technology and machinations. Street venders in this area sell all manner of adventuring items, common items, and the occasional rare and special items. If you’re looking for a curious device or materials to make an interesting artifact, you might want to check the markets in Agoratech.
Interesting Locations:    Mazen and Malia’s Machinations
                                       Aenelm’s Shop of Curiosities
                                       Gylas Tonics and Philters
                                       The Tinkerer’s Taint

Serenity Sire
This residential area is home to many of Aian’s most prodigious and noble families. Among expansive modern estates built recently are older mansions build within structures that remained intact from the fallen spires. These colossal artifacts are both beautiful and often incomprehensible, even to those who now make their homes within.
Interesting Locations:    The Crystal Rose (Burlesque Lounge)
                                       The Safehaven (Tavern)
                                               
Meabrooks
This area of the inner city is home to many of Aian’s merchant  class. This mostly residential neighborhood is filled with modern homes and beautiful gardens.
Interesting Locations:    The Aian Botanical Gardens
                                       The Fine Thread (Fine Clothing Store)

University Enclave
Founded by the prodigious Sir Arthour of the Fraiser family, Aian University has become a beacon of enlightenment. The university is famous for its unparalleled library on ancient artifacts and cyphers, largely the accumulated life’s work of Sir Arthour himself. In addition to finding the leading authority in numenera, you’ll find respected professors in the fields of geology, botany, astronomy, and biology.
Interesting Locations:    The Fraiser Estate
   Aian University (multiple buildings)
                                                Botany, Geology, Biology, Astronomy, and Numenera Departments

                                                Library

2 comments:

  1. This is delightful. thanks for posting this (and linking to it from reddit). Is there more? Is this ok for me to use? I'm about to start Slaves of the Machine God, which starts in Aian. This makes me want to throw even more sand into the sandbox ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is amazing! Thank you for sharing this - I wish Monte Cook Games was publishing such quality material like this.

    Did you usy any map with this description? If yes, could you possibly share?

    ReplyDelete